§ MR. MAURICE HEALY (Cork)asked Mr. Attorney General for Ireland, Whether in England the Act enabling offences committed in counties of cities or counties of towns, to be tried in the adjoining counties, does not apply to the Metropolis; whether he is aware that the said Act was originally passed in England because of the restricted nature of the jury panel available in certain English counties of cities and towns; whether the Government recently caused the Winter Assizes for six Irish counties to be held in the city of Dublin; and, whether the Government propose to assimilate the Irish Law to the English by excluding the Irish Metropolis and the centre of the Irish legal system from the operation of the said Act?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. HOLMES) (Dublin University)I cannot undertake to say what was the reason of the enactment of a statute that became law about 90 years 1566 ago. That Act does not apply to the City of London, the City of Westminster, or the borough of Southwark; but it applies to many populous places, and it is not the intention of the Government to make proposals for any change in this respect in the existing law. The Winter Assizes for several neighbouring counties were recently held in the City of Dublin. This was in accordance with law and precedent.